More Giveaways

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

In 1986, when Israel was four years into a severe drought, a pair of fishermen found a boat buried in mud near the shore of the Sea of Galilee. They called in a team of archaeologists to study the findings, and what followed is told in "Jesus Boat: Witness to Prophecy." I received a copy of the DVD, at no cost to me, for review purposes.

From the back of the DVD case:

The astounding prophetic rebirth of Israel is told through the discovery of an ancient and unlikely artifact found under the shores of the Sea of Galilee. A first century fishing boat, identical to the boat Jesus sailed upon with his disciples, was destroyed in the years Israel was destroyed by the Romans, but found 2000 years later in a series of astonishing events that even scientists called a miracle. Mirroring Israel's own story of devastation and survival, the boat from the time of Jesus, would rise against all odds and float upon the Sea of Galilee once more as the oldest surviving freshwater boat in the world. Featuring commentary from some of the great theologians of our day including Franklin Graham, Joel Rosenberg, Jay Sekulow, Skip Heitzig, Chuck Smith, and more.

I had never heard of the Jesus Boat (which some call the "Sea of Galilee Boat") before this DVD, and I found the story fascinating. While no one can prove that Jesus was ever in this boat, scientists have dated it to the first century. Archaeologists believe that it is the same type of boat used by fishermen, including the apostle Peter, during that time. The boat is on display at a museum near the discovery site.

The story of the boat, which was destroyed then restored--even the challenges in recovering, restoring, and preserving the boat--parallels the history of Israel, which is also summarized in the beginning of the DVD. It was all very intriguing to see the intertwined stories.

Quite a bit of biblical prophecy is cited to support the fulfillment of that prophecy. Verses from the gospels are also used to show the importance of the Sea of Galilee in the public ministry of Christ.

I believe that all references to connecting Jesus with this boat were qualified with words like "might have been" or "could be." (I'm picky about that kind of thing.) One statement which made me uncomfortable and skeptical was about a thundering rainstorm prompting at least one expert to ask the Lord for permission to recover the boat.

Overall, though, I'd recommend this DVD if you're interested in the history of Israel and this important archaeological find.